Drug treatment center backs out of plan to expand in Williston

Maple Leaf Farm said project delays, rising costs derailed project at former school

Jul. 15, 2013

Written by

Free Press Staff Writer

Maple Leaf Farm, a substance abuse treatment facility in Underhill, is abandoning plans to relocate to the former Pine Ridge School in Williston, citing project delays and rising costs.

The goal had been to establish an expanded residential substance abuse treatment program at the former private school to try to meet increased demand for services throughout Vermont.

Maple Leaf has 100-150 potential patients “at various points in the pipeline” on the waiting list, Executive Director Bill Young said Monday.

When the expected school purchase became public in November 2011, Young said Maple Leaf had turned away 358 potential patients in the previous six months due to lack of space.

Maple Leaf planned to seek approval for 96 beds in Williston but open with 56, Young said. If all went well, 20 more beds would have been added, followed by a second round of 20 beds once the need and money were in place.

Maple Leaf Farm, which serves more than 800 people each year, is 57 years old and considered Vermont’s oldest residential program.

Young said a combination of various delays in getting approvals, coupled with expenses in keeping the Underhill facility going, made the Williston project no longer viable.

He estimated Maple Leaf had spent $200,000 to $240,000 on the Williston proposal, including clean-up and permits.

Meanwhile, Maple Leaf had to spend money from its annual operating budget to have a new septic system installed and a fire sprinkler placed in the main building in Underhill.

“We ran into a variety of delays that were not expected,” Young said.

Maple Leaf was unable to start work until last July, and the town process was expected to take up to 18 months — up from four to six months.

The Pine Ridge property near the bottom of French Hill on U.S. 2 has been vacant since the school closed in 2009.

“We felt that it would have been a good fit for us,” Young said.

The 127-acre property had 14 buildings including dormitories, a cafeteria, classroom and administration buildings. The school built a $1.4 million gym and student center in late 2000 and also had athletic fields.

If the plan had gone ahead, Maple Leaf would have moved into about 90 acres on the north side of U.S. 2. Maple Leaf also was planning to provide some open spaces and trail easements for the town.

Maple Leaf’s decision surprised Williston Town Manager Rick Mcguire and Planning Director Ken Belliveau. The project had two more stops at the town level: a zoning change and overall approval.

Belliveau said the Planning Commission had done considerable work on the request and was scheduled to host a public hearing July 30.

Belliveau said some residents in the immediate area had offered what he called “spirited opposition” to the project.

Maple Leaf was in the process of buying Pine Ridge for $2.85 million from People’s United Bank, which took over the facility when it went into bankruptcy after closing in 2009.